Are Deadlifts necessary?

[playtowinpsu]

More people **** themselves up doing bench press than any other exercise.

I have a bad disc l4/l5. Doing heavy deadlifts and squats -- with perfect form -- has strengthened my lower back and helped my back.

The problem is with ego lifters who sacrifice form for weight and end up hurting themselves. Don't do that and you will be fine.

How many sets..reps...on your DL & Squat workout? and also what else do you workout those days?

[JUSA]

How many sets..reps...on your DL & Squat workout? and also what else do you workout those days?

You know, it depends. For awhile I was deadlifting 1/week. On that day I'd do a light set of squats, a press movement and then a heavy set of deads with my 5RM (I was running Madcow). Lately, I'm doing deads at the end of the week on the same day I do hams, calves and abs (right now I'm doing a body part split).

I would recommend keeping the # you do fairly low. The more reps you're pushing, the greater chance I see of your form slipping. Right now I alternate between 1x5, 3x3 or 3x8 depending on the week. Those weeks I do 3 sets of 8 I have to be very careful and make sure my ego is in check... which with the deadlift and the way you're able to add weight, sometimes alot, every workout - it can be difficult.

I squat on a different day than I deadlift right now. If you're doing a PL routine with lower volume I can see you swinging having a day where you both squat and deadlift, but with the increase in volume I'm doing now with a hypertrophy routine -- I couldn't possibly handle it. When I squat I do 3 sets of 5-8 reps to start every workout, after which I move on to front squats, lunges, less presses or box squats (not all of them, just 2) and work in rep ranges of 10-12 or 12-15.

[playtowinpsu]

yeah maybe I'll switch it up, right now I'm doing squats and the DL. I just might do them on separate days

[zephed56]

Then:

1. Get the SS DVD and learn proper form
2. Use low poundages and higher rep count (e.g. 3x8) so you can focus on form and reduce risk of injury

The fatigue from high rep sets degrades form more than a weight you'd use for a 5 rep set (not a 5rm). I'd keep the rep range the same, start light, and just progress conservatively week to week.

[playtowinpsu]

lower reps are optimal for DL?

[zephed56]

lower reps are optimal for DL?

If you're trying to learn correct form, don't use more reps in a set to get more practice, as the last few reps will be sloppy due to fatigue.

There is no optimal, but yes heavy weight is very effective.

[Spartiatis84]

More people **** themselves up doing bench press than any other exercise.

I have a bad disc l4/l5. Doing heavy deadlifts and squats -- with perfect form -- has strengthened my lower back and helped my back.

The problem is with ego lifters who sacrifice form for weight and end up hurting themselves. Don't do that and you will be fine.

Very good advice, deadlifts are an amazing exercise when done correctly!

[Bamm1969]

Very necessary. Its a great all over mass producer. Do a few "good mornings" to get your lower back muscles tuned up in the beginning. Good luck!

[DIESEL_1]

Yes

[training4shrede]

Necessary? Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? No, but I do it anyway because it's sterile and I like the taste.

Lol.Do u really do that or you're messing with us

[ChristheNatural]

Technically, there is no such thing as a necessary exercise. But on another point, deadlifts are an awesome exercise. But remember, it's a hip dominant movement. While it's true that the whole posterior chain contracts and helps stabilize, the upper back is only helping to assist, and is not the prime mover. For that reason you have to make sure to do your pull-ups for full lat development, your bent-over rows for full midback(middle and lower traps, rhomboids, teres major) development, and some even need to make sure to focus on shrugs for upper-trap development. Some get enough upper-trap development from deadlifts, but I'm not one of them. Of course if you have power cleans in your routine, then there wouldn't be much need for shrugs considering the violent shrug on the 2nd pull, but a lot of trainees don't like or want to perform these. Long story short make sure to focus on 4 separate areas for total back development:
Lower back: Deadlifts will develop a bullet-proof lower back and help assist with overall back development.
Lats: Pull-ups
Midback: Bent-Over Rows
Upper-traps: Heavy Shrugs, unless power cleans are part of your routine.

[TAWS6]

Technically, there is no such thing as a necessary exercise.

This. Ive done deads for long periods of time. I was forced to stop for about a year and didnt notice any losses. I did however start doing them again.